Judy Mikovits has been arrested

assume[/I] this is the case, and find all other explanations extraordinary, with no apparent recognition that this scenario is itself quite extraordinary. Everyone would do well to recognise that, whatever has happened, it is absolutely extraordinary. All possible explanations are bizarre!

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Hi Mark. I don't find it at all bizarre a researcher could knowingly commit fraud even when in retrospect outsiders are incredulous, and the researcher's career is destroyed. It has happened numerous times before and actually at very prestitious institutions. And in such case, I wouldn't find it at all bizarre that the researcher would try to hide the evidence--at that point what do they have to lose?

I'm not saying it happened, in any way shape or form, but no, it's not unthinkable or bizarre.

It's just human nature, and some people commit fraud or commit crimes. And yes, they are convinced they can get away with it at the time.

It has been interesting reading this thread. I personally as a human being feel badly for Judy Mikovits and don't like that she's in jail. I hope some agreement can be arrived at soon so she can be released and sleep in her own bed. I was also upset on a human level that a patient had to go through the stress of having her home searched top to bottom.

I personally can't imagine circumstances where she has to be jailed as a fugitive from justice. She went home. I mean, she could have travelled throughout Europe or taken a long vacation...But what do I know. I do know one thing. As far as I can see, WPI is toast. I don't think they can resurrect their reputation, ever. I was never ALL that interested in XMRV as a major cause of CFS/ME/chronic lyme etc, anyway.

I do think, though, that no matter what, in fact in a perverse way, all the controversy, high drama, soap operas, etc, and even intransigence on the part of the players, highlighted this condition and helped change the dialogue forever, and that is actually a good thing. The condition is now taken seriously and there is a commitment on the part of big top researchers to help figure it out.

Sadly though, I don't think they'll include chronic tickborne illness in all this....it never gets the same attention.

If a third party was involved in this latest arrest stunt, I think it is a strike of brilliance on their part. It affectively destroys the two best patient focused people/orgs "with one stone." Kills two birds so to speak. Annette(WPI) and Judy.

I still believe both(Annette(WPI) and Judy) have always had the best intentions when it came to trying to carck the ME/CFS puzzle. This is regardless if Annette and Judy had differences on management issues on a growing startup.

In a better world, without politics from special interests, the outcome for patients would have been totally different.

From what I understand (too tired to go look up the court docket, Lilly's statement, the lawyers' statement and the definitions of the legal code under which JM was arrested, but they are available in several places)
it looks like:

-WPI opened a civil suit for the materials, naming JM as a suspect, legally instructing her not to damage or tamper with the materials if they were in her possession
-someone who has legal knowledge of the penal code (I find it very difficult to imagine it was WPI, but they, or another party) who knew she was already in CA alerted the authorities that JM had left the state while involved in a suit "punishable by one year in prison" and as such could be subject to a felony charge of fugitive and search of her and Lilly's property.

It was easy to know she had returned home because on the day after the firing (I think?) we saw online statements from Lilly and Js lawyers attesting to that fact. Whoever alerted the authorities also instructed them to search Lilly's house, so it seems clear that whoever brought the criminal charges had full knowledge that JM had simply returned home, and had read the public statements by Lilly and Judy's lawyers. Action was not taken quickly enough to stop her from travelling internationally--possibly this kind of legal loophole-finding takes some time.

As has been stated elsewhere, while this may be an application of the law that is technically correct, it is the kind of robust response usually reserved for pedophiles and murderers. We are not talking top secret military info here, either. It does seem disproportionate.

Thank you Mark for your level-headed summation of the situation. I guess I am neglecting your advice by further speculating here, but this is what I see from my current vantage this morning. I would have thought that if WPI had *not* gone the further step of making it a criminal charge, that they would have immediately made a statement to that effect, if only for PR reasons. I too await the emergence of the truth, but I have to say that personally, I don't have faith that the criminal justice system can do a better job of truth-seeking than anyone else.

Now that is interesting. 'Required to report?' That smells like third-party involvement to me.
Also, laboratory materials could be more than just notes.

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The grant is from the NIH and they have strict regulations on accountability. If material is indeed missing and it wasn't reported, the WPI would be in a lot of trouble with the federal governemnt. I'm just reporting a fact and not saying it specifically pertains to this case.

Now that is interesting. 'Required to report?' That smells like third-party involvement to me.
Also, laboratory materials could be more than just notes.

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The grant is from the NIH and they have strict regulations on accountability. If material is indeed missing and it wasn't reported, the WPI would be in a lot of trouble with the federal governemnt. I'm just reporting a fact and not saying it specifically pertains to this case.

Providing certain documents to gov't could be a condition of receiving future funding. But I would not think her notebook is the kind of document they would need to provide for such funding. Woudln't the gov't be looking for a final report or paper instead? I actually hope that Judy and the wpi both recover from this - Judy in a lab doing her research and the wpi funded from the government and doing good research too.

Providing certain documents to gov't could be a condition of receiving future funding. But I would not think her notebook is the kind of document they would need to provide for such funding. Woudln't the gov't be looking for a final report or paper instead? I actually hope that Judy and the wpi both recover from this - Judy in a lab doing her research and the wpi funded from the government and doing good research too.

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I can only speak of my experience but the government, state and federal would go through everything with a fine tooth comb. Even small grants were extensively audited and that included notes on clients, our record system, etc. Usually picked at random and sometimes we were not given notice that a visit was pending but that was kind of the exception and not as extensive.

Every little i had to be dotted, every t crossed.

Accountability, is a biggie for future funding.

It was a pain. TBH, but I guess necessary. Kind of the nature of a bureaucracy.

I'll tell you what justice is in my little brain. Put Annette Whittemore in a cell next to Judy. If Whittemore doesn't fly over to that jail and get her out of there like five minutes ago that says more than I ever need to ever know ever again about WPI.

In the movie 10 Commandments - Let the name of Moses never be stricken from any memorial and never be spoken of again. Substitute Moses.

The Chicago Tribune writes that JM has been charged with two felonies: Possession of stolen property and conspiracy! The police must have found something in her possession that allegedly belongs to WIP! Yikes!

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In what sense could "conspiracy" be understood in English? In my language a conspiracy requieres two or more people.

But the WPI has been victimized as well, wrote Cort Johnson, who runs the website Phoenix Rising. "I'm sure (they) had a huge emotional investment in that data. That is what, after all, they hoped could cure their daughter."

I wish we would be famous with nicer things than this tragic fiasco. It's a tragedy for all - the patients are being torn. Hopefully, the real truth will come out and justice will prevail but, definitely not with many scars.

I wish we would be famous with nicer things than this tragic fiasco. It's a tragedy for all - the patients are being torn. Hopefully, the real truth will come out and justice will prevail but, definitely not with many scars.